Tori+Hasson

​

CHEM 111 

Run Forrest Run!

When you see someone running what's the first thing that goes through your mind? Oh wow, they're pretty fast, or, they must be in good shape to be able to go that far that fast? I bet that most of you don't consider the chemistry involved in what they're doing. Yes, you heard me right, running involves chemistry, and a fairly complex type at that. Distance running especially is where we humans excel. Compared to other species we hold no weight when it comes to sprinting but humans were designed to be good at distance running. In the opinion of some scientists it is one of the ways in which we are different from apes. Runners use two main sources of fuel when running; carbohydrates and fats. It is recommended that about 60% of a runners calories come from Carbs which are made up of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon and are broken down during the metabolism process. Carbs are sugars such as glucose and fructose that can be found in foods like bread and pasta. When the sugars are broken down to be used as energy for the runner the chemical equation might look something like this - C6H1206 + 6 O2 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + energy - which is the equation for the decomposition of glucose.

Crabtree, M. (2008, August 04). The Chemistry of running. //Lifestyle//, Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/901613/the_chemistry_of_running.html?cat=51

Lighting Up the Night So there's been a lot of talk surrounding this upcoming neon dance lately. Who's going to be there, what it'll be like and of course, what to wear. I've listened to people pitch their ideas and gathertheir friends opinions and the use of glow sticks sounds like it's going to be pretty popular. All this talk got me thinking, what is it that's actually found in glow sticks? What makes them light up the way they do, and why do they only work once they've been snapped? A lot of people plan to use the liquid inside of them to make themselves glow so I started asking, what is the liquid?

Turns out, glow sticks because of a fairly simple process known as chemiluminescence. During the process, a chemical reaction throws electrons into a state of high energy and when they calm back down they produce energy in the form of light. The way is happens in a glow stick is this: Contained inside the tube you hold is a thin glass vial which is full of hydrogen peroxide. Surrounding the vial and filling the rest of the gow stick is a mixture of phenyl oxalate ester and the flourescent dye which lends the glow stick its colour. When you open a glow stick the directions tell you to bend it until it snaps and this is because the snapping sound you hear is actually the breaking of the glass vial contained inside. When the hydrogen peroxide is released it mixes with the other chemicals and creates a chemical reaction that produces light. Now, you might have also heard that putting a glow stick in the freezer makes it last longer and it turns out there is truth behind this statement. The cooler temperature, though it will dim the sticks light, allows it to glow for an extended period of time.media type="youtube" key="W4xKJ3LHlVM" height="306" width="489" align="right"

//How Do glow sticks work?//. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4xKJ3LHlVM

W, L. (2010). //What are Glow sticks?//. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-glow-sticks.htm

​ Chocolate on the Brain?

Everyone's heard the stereotypical comments that insist chocolate is the best thing to eat when you're feeling down or need just the right pick me up after a breakup. Most have probably brushed them off as silly ramblings, but is it possible that there's something to all of those statements? That chocolate really does have the power to lift you up?

There are different possibilities when it comes to the positive feelings we gain from chocolate. As most know chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine as well as phenylethylamine can also be found. All three are stimluants that are known to help a person stay alert and make paying attention easier. These are the more readily accepted responses as to why chocolate makes us feel so good but there are others that have proven to be a little more controversial. There are those that have said that chocolate can have the same effects as marijuana on the way we feel. The active ingredient in marijuana is THC, and when marijuana is used the THC attaches itself to the proteins on a cells exterior and the chemical reaction that takes place results in a person feeling as though they are high. Now as chocolate does not contain THC it will not "get you high" when you eat it but the chemical ingredient anandamide is thought to be one of the key reasons that chocolate consumption makes us feel so good. Now anandamide usually breaks down quickly after it is produced but researchers have found other chemicals present in chocolate which are thought to inhibit the process and could explain the longer lasting feeling that chocolate provides.

The Exploratorium,. //The Sweet lure of chocolate//. Retrieved from http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/choc_8.html

Is the bark worse than the bite?  I was surfing the web the other night, looking for a bit of interesting reading, when I stumbled across a chemistry experiment that, though simple, struck me as interesting. I knew of course that light and colour are common products of chemical reactions, but I had never really given much thought to the idea that sound might be one as well. media type="youtube" key="ExqXaykVfsI" height="289" width="277" align="center"

By taking a tube of nitrous oxide, adding to it a few drops of carbon disulfide and swirling the mixture to thoroughly mix the solution, you can easily create a potentially noisy concoction. Once mixed you can open the container holding your solution and throw in a lit match in order to ignite the mixture. The flame will spread quickly, creating a bright blue flash accompanied by an audible barking noise. It is possible to repeat the experiment several times using the same mixture and it is a great way to demonstrate another possible side effect that comes with a chemical reaction. Helmensteine, A.M. (2010). //Barking dog reaction//. Retrieved from http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistrydemonstrations/a/barkingdog.htm

The Silent Killer

 So in class today we got rambling on, the same as we always do, but this time came to a topic with which I unfortunately happen to have had some experience. Not directly thankfully, but carbon monoxide wreaked havoc in the lives of a family I was very close to when I was younger and so I thought I’d take a closer look at that lethal gas known as the ‘**silent killer**.’  The reason that carbon monoxide is so truly frightening is that it’s **nearly impossible to detect** its presence. **Colourless**, **odorless** and **tasteless**, it can sneak up on, surround and smother you and you would never know what had hit you. It is produced during incomplete combustion, or the burning of materials that contain carbon. Things as seemingly harmless as your household appliances could secretly be waging a **silent war** against you, the carbon monoxide levels growing every time they’re in use. One of the most commonly heard of sources would have to be vehicles left idling. These can be very dangerous and when left in enclosed spaces have the potential to be **fatal**.

At this point you might be thinking, ‘hey, if so many people know how terrible this stuff is, then why don’t they know to watch for it and to get out of the house?’ Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, carbon monoxide is close to impossible to detect and its symptoms don’t give much in the way of **warning signs** either. The early signs of poisoning include headaches, fatigue, nausea and sometimes **dizziness**, all of which are commonly associated with the flu. Now, when someone thinks they’re sick, with the flu especially, what do they usually end up trying to do? Getting some do in the case of carbon monoxide poisoning.
 * sleep** is the common reaction and the worst possible thing someone could

eMedecineHealth,. (2010). //Carbon monoxide poisoning//. Retrieved from []
 * Most never wake up.**

Love Me, Love Me, Say That You Love Me

Three words. Three words have the power to spark a war, to unite nations, to solidify friendships, to make young hearts beat at unnatural speeds as their cheeks flush and their mouths curl in the slightest of grins. I love you. Three words that have the potential to hold so much meaning and yet so often are thrown around carelessly. Scientists have said that love, or infatuation may actually be similar to mental illness in its effects, which brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase "madly in love."

Anthropologist Helen Fisher has spent quite a large amount of time looking at this thing that we call love and has even used an MRI to determine what parts of the brain are affected by the emotion. Lovers of at least seven months were placed in an MRI and then shown two pictures, the first completely neutral the second of their loved one. Upon seeing the second photograph it was noted that the sections of the lover's brains related to reward and pleasure showed increased activity. These areas, known as the caudate nucleus and the ventral tegmental area, lit up under the MRI. One of these, the caudate nucleus, is home to a neurotransmitter known as dopamine, which in the right quantities can cause an extreme abundance of energy. It is this energy which allows young lovers especially to perform superhuman feats and which makes it appear sometimes as if they've taken a complete leave of their senses.

Slater, Lauren. (2008). So What, really, is this thing called love. //National Geographic//, Retrieved from []